


Chance Encounter

by captain_sassy_socks



Series: Crossword - AU [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Café, Crossword - AU, Ellie the dog, F/M, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 10:34:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21372727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_sassy_socks/pseuds/captain_sassy_socks
Summary: Sam is a Major in the USAF, a brilliant astrophysicist and works at the Stargate program.Jack is a park ranger and has recently moved to Colorado Springs.Ellie is Jack's bright-eyed and bushy-tailed dog.This is their story of how they meet.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Crossword - AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540798
Comments: 17
Kudos: 76





	Chance Encounter

6 Across – they radiate outward from an earthquake’s epicenter. _Waves, _Jack scribbles down.

He sits at a small table in a vintage coffeehouse, shades of yellow and brown dominate the interior. The cafe already buzzes with activity. Several elderly couples, a group of young students with their books clattered around, and the lonely early-bird jogger have stopped by for a cup of coffee and a sweet delight.

After his move to Colorado Springs a few weeks ago, he searched for a dog park and found this place by chance. He loves the atmosphere, bustling with activity but not overcrowded or too loud. And dogs are allowed indoors, which agrees with him and Ellie, a six-year-old German shepherd terrier mix. It has become kind of a ritual on a Saturday morning. First, they get breakfast here, and then they move on to romp around.

Ellie lays next to him under the table and waits patiently, her favorite toy clutched between her fangs.

Engrossed in thought, he tries to solve the latest crossword puzzle in the local newspaper.

27 Across – bees are attracted to it. _Flowers_ doesn’t fit as it is one letter too long. Jack takes a sip from his steaming cup and hopes that more caffeine might enlighten him. He drums the pen rhythmically against the tabletop.

29 Down – South Carolina seaport that was hit with a major earthquake in 1886. He only knows one harbor, _Charleston_. Surprisingly, it seems to be the word he’s looking for.

That leaves him with ‘C’ as the third letter for 27 Across. _Pollen_ has been eliminated, as well.

The doorbell chimes. Jack draws his eyes away from the numbered clues to inspect the new customer.

The pen falls from his fingers as he gawks in awe at the stunning beauty who makes her way straight to the counter.

Her short, blond hair shimmer golden in the bright morning sunlight. A slight tan covers her cleavage and toned arms. Delicate fingers clasp a tiny purse. Blue flowers adorn the white summer dress, which ends knee-high and hugs her curves in all the right places. Her muscular legs go on and on and end with dark-red painted toenails in a pair of shiny sandals. She holds herself with grace and confidence.

Long forgotten feelings stir inside of him. He can identify curiosity, interest, and longing.

Ellie’s ears perk up.

Jack covers his blatant stare with another mouthful of coffee.

The gorgeous stranger retrieves her cup of coffee and settles at the open table next to him. She unfolds her newspaper, oblivious to him checking her out.

His gaze is drawn to her left hand. No ring. A spark of hope spreads out in his chest.

It’s been a while since he was interested in a woman. His skills might be a little rusty. Therefore, he gives himself a silent pep talk to muster up all the courage he needs to make the first move. In the end, Ellie’s intense puppy dog eyes convince him to try his luck. He picks up his paper and approaches her.

“Hi,” he greets her with a smile. “Is this seat taken?” He gestures to the empty chair opposite her.

Lifting up her head, she regards him warily. “Actually, I’m meeting someone.”

“Ah, sorry.” His smile falters. He waves in an attempt to apologize for the disturbance and retreats back to his table.

Once seated, Ellie senses the mood swing in her master and places her head on his knee. He cuddles and pats her. At least he hasn’t lost his charm when it comes to dogs.

Sure, the woman has a justifiable reason. Nonetheless, her rejection hurts. Mesmerized, he can’t takes his eyes off her stunning good looks. Not wanting to appear lecherous, he focused back on the clues for Across and Down.

42 Across – Greek love goddess. That’s easy, _Aphrodite. _

15 Down – one cause for an R rating. With more force than necessary, he writes down, _S-E-X_.

Now, the clues have conspired against him.

The last answer leads to images of a certain blonde writhing under him, naked. He wonders what her skin would taste like and if she is a screamer in the throes of passion.

Ungh!

He shakes his head to chase away the vivid images. He needs to get a grip on reality. Forcefully, he grabs his mug, only to detect that it is empty. He curses under his breath. Just what he needs right now.

Like a siren’s call her, presence beckons him. He can’t resist catching another glimpse of her.

She fiddles with her mobile phone, apparently waiting for a call or text message. Audibly sighing, she puts it down and continues to occupy herself with the newspaper.

At Jack’s feet, Ellie becomes twitchy and drops her toy in his lap. The unmistakable sign that it is time to leave and play.

He scratches behind her ears but makes no attempt to get up. His gaze lingers on the ravishing beauty.

A beeping sound spurs her into motion. Smiling expectantly, she picks up her phone to read whatever message she just received. A few seconds later, her smile disappears, and her shoulders sag.

Whatever she just read, it doesn’t seem to be what she expected.

His mind springs into action and sees another opportunity to talk to her. He’ll try again, respectfully. If she rejects his advances, he’ll leave her alone. Period.

He looks down at Ellie and tilts his head in the direction of the blonde, underlined with an imploring glare of ‘help me out and move over’.

His dog regards him curiously, ears at attention, and waggles her tail but doesn’t move an inch.

He sighs, closes his eyes, and pinches the bridge of his nose.

He doesn’t want to throw Ellie’s toy in front of the woman’s feet. That would be too obvious. And plain creepy. He just prays that his smart girl understands his brilliant plan before the woman at the nearby table vanishes from his life. One more insistent nudge with his right foot and, by some miracle, Ellie trudges over. She stops in front of the mysterious stranger and begs to be petted. In a unique way, only a dog can display.

Surprised, the blonde looks down, assessed the intruder, and strokes the fur below the collar and along the back.

“Sorry, she gets easily excited,” Jack announces his presence in a sincere voice.

Blue eyes meet brown. For a second, the woman furrows her brows. Her scrutinizing stare makes him visibly gulp. He is transported back to the day when his grandmother caught him in the act of stealing blueberries from their neighbors. He was seven.

As quickly as the frown appeared, it’s gone. Her expression softens. “No worries! I had a dog as a child.”

Ellie relishes in the attention and enthusiastically licks the caressing fingers.

“May I?” Jack tries again. Tentatively.

The woman nods in approval to the empty seat, still petting his dog.

Jack sits down with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Internally, he is grateful that she has given him another chance to demonstrate the famous O’Neill charm.

“Got stood up?” The words tumble out of his mouth before he can stop them. Not the best opening, but his mind draws a blank.

“Yeah, my date is apparently busy on the job.” Tinges of disappointment and resentment resonate in her voice.

“Well, maybe you can help me out. 27 Across – bees are attracted to it. I have a ‘C’ as third letter and no idea what it could be.” He pushes his crossword puzzle over to her.

Her lower lip is pulled between her teeth while she contemplates the clue. “Hmm…, bees…” Her eyes brighten up. “_Nectar_ fits.”

Cute is the word that fits her in his imagination.

He hands his pen over to her. A tingling sensation passes through him when their fingers touch. She takes the writing utensil and inserts the missing letters in the designated fields.

“53 Across – up, down, charm,____. The answer is _Strange_.” She writes it down without hesitation.

“Strange?”

“Strange. As in quarks.” The obviousness of her statement hangs between them.

He throws his arms up in the air. “You just lost me.”

“Astrophysicist.” A proud smile appears on her face.

“Ah!” Still lost, but intrigued, he introduces himself. “Jonathan O’Neill. Everyone calls me Jack. Definitely not an astrophysicist.”

He offers his hand. She chuckles at his lame joke.

“Samantha Carter. My friends call me Sam.”

Samantha. He marvels at the befitting name. Hebrew. The female variant of Samuel. Meaning ‘name of god’. She is clearly sent from heaven, that much he knows for sure.

Her handshake is firm and inviting. Under his fingertips, her skin feels smooth and warm. Reluctant to end the moment, he lingers longer than strictly necessary before he lets go.

“So, astrophysicist. Any other hidden talents I should know of?”

He flinches at his own question. Even to his ears, it sounds cringe-worthy and like a cheap pick up line. Smooth, real smooth to put his foot into his mouth this early into their conversation.

Again.

Rusty might be an understatement.

Since his divorce five years ago, he hasn’t had much practice. And honestly, Samantha is the first woman to pique his interest. He wants to impress her.

Sam cocks an eyebrow, totally unimpressed. He smiles, apologetically.

“Major in the United States Air Force,” she states calmly. Braced on her forearms, she leans a bit forward, invading his personal space.

He backs off, impressed, and slightly fazed. The emphasis on ‘Major’ rings loud and clear in his ears.

“Got it. So, if I behave like a jerk, you know at least ten different, painful ways to dismember me and get rid of my body.”

“Something like that.” There is a sparkle in her eyes, clearly proportional to his discomfort.

“Then, I try to be at my best behavior. Scout’s honor.”

Ellie seizes the opportunity to announce her growing impatience with a loud bark. She charges ahead and retrieves her beloved toy. Settling in front of Jack, she puts it in his lap once again.

“She becomes restless. We always go to the dog park right after breakfast.” Jack looks at his watch. “Yep, already way past that.”

“We don’t want to keep her waiting any longer,” Sam agrees, still holding on to his pen.

Unsure how to proceed best, Jack reacts on impulse and tears off a scrap from his newspaper. He grabs his pen and jots down his telephone number under 58 Across.

“Call me.”

“I may.” She keeps it vague while twisting the piece of paper between her fingers. “Have fun.”

And then she beams at him with a smile that rivals the sun outside, all perfect teeth and dimples. At that moment Jack knows, he’s got it bad.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is loosely based on and inspired by season 7 ep 15 'Chimera'. And by loosely based on I mean that I liked Sam's dress. She looked breathtakingly stunning.
> 
> The Crossword - AU series will be updated irregularly and whenever inspiration strikes.
> 
> At the moment I have an idea for the second instalment.


End file.
